Fitzpatrick Talks Budgets with Township Managers

NEWTOWN, PA - Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) spent Thursday morning meeting with some of Bucks County’s Municipal Managers to provide them an update of the budget negotiations in Washington and talking the importance of budgeting at the Federal level as part of the annual Bucks County Managers Consortium.

Joined by managers and leaders from over a dozen communities, Congressman Fitzpatrick covered topics ranging from the history of the sequester to the requirement of local municipalities to pass annual balanced budgets on time.

“Both our state government and the thousands of municipalities throughout Pennsylvania are required to pass a balanced budget on time,” said Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, “We must accomplish the same in Washington.

That’s why I support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.”

Much of the meeting’s focus was centered around the ongoing budget negotiations on Capitol Hill. Congressman Fitzpatrick highlighted the House of Representative’s passage of a budget that balances for a third consecutive year as well as his work to pass “No Budget, No Pay” which forced the Senate to produce a budget proposal for the first time in four years.

While the House, Senate and President have all passed budgets, Congressman Fitzpatrick was unsure that any proposal that did not address the nation’s growing debt would move forward, saying, “The Senate passed a budget that includes $1 Trillion in new spending while I voted for the House Plan which balances the budget in ten years. Now that we know where both Chambers stand, it is time to find a compromise that puts our nation back on the right fiscal track.”